Independent plans to run against Shuster

A Franklin County woman has announced that she intends to run as an independent candidate for the 9th Congressional District. The district is held by Republican U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster.

Fifty-year-old Karen Ramsburg of Mercersburg said she has been an independent since December 2010 when she changed her party affiliation from Democrat.

"I just don't feel like either political party is working for 99 percent of Americans," she said.

Ramsburg, who is a nurse, said the most important issues the country is facing right now are the economy, health care, education and the environment.

"The biggest issue is jobs," she said. "We desperately need jobs in Pennsylvania."

Ramsburg would like to repeal the North American Free Trade Agreement, place protective tariffs on all imported goods and — instead of investing in bank bailouts — invest in national infrastructure. She would also like to restore manufacturing in America and pass the Employee Free Choice Act, which would allow workers to form a union if union officials collect a majority of the workers signatures.

"We need to make sure working people have rights in the workplace," she said.

Ramsburg said information that the natural gas industry is going to create jobs is misleading. She said people working in the natural gas industry are from Texas and Oklahoma.

"Landowners who are approached by the gas industry don't have enough information to protect themselves," she said. "These people are getting swindled out of their land. They are destroying farms."

Ramsburg said she believes Marcellus Shale is one of the biggest issues for Somerset County and it is the job of elected officials to be an advocate for the landowners to help them protect their land. She said she has seen photos from a farm in Bedford County where farmland was destroyed after fracking.

"I would not allow myself to be bought by the gas industry," she said.

She is not familiar with the issues that plague the completion of Route 219 from Somerset to Meyersdale, but said she plans on learning more about that and other issues facing Somerset County.

"Whenever we can invest in our infrastructure and create jobs I support that," she said. "Bridges and roads in Pennsylvania look like they are really in bad shape. One out of every four bridges are substandard. Safety comes first and foremost."

Ramsburg said she is also a strong supporter of the Second Amendment. She learned about the law's history when working to save the Justice William Smith House in Mercersburg. She said James Smith was a delegate in 1776 in Westmoreland County and wrote the draft of the first gun possession law in America. She also wrote a book, Smith Rebellion 1765 Gives Rise to Modern Politics, which has a chapter titled "The Right to Bear Arms."

This is the first time Ramsburg has pursued a political office. Signatures for third-party candidates are due in August. Third-party candidates are required to obtain signatures equal to 2 percent of the highest vote-getter from the previous election, excluding judicial candidates. Ramsburg said she understands that she will need somewhere between 3,000 and 6,000 signatures.

"I'll get double the amount that I am required," she said.

Ramsburg said she is using her website and social media to connect with potential voters and to get the word out about her candidacy.